EATING OUT
Café Chic
A taste of things to come
Café Chic is now hip and trendy We’d heard exciting things were going on at Le Méridien Dubai’s Café Chic. So when we received a press release entitled ‘Café Chic is now hip and trendy!’ – yep, it really said that – we laughed heartily, and then began to worry. For a start, a restaurant called Café Chic, by definition, should always have been hip and trendy. And secondly, the description was one small step away from funky. And funky is bad. Very bad. Then we received the menu, and we began to forgive the cool Gallic cats over there in Le Méridien’s kitchens. There are already a slew of French restaurants in Dubai, most of which more than cut the Dijon mustard – shining examples are Franck Detrait’s Traiteur and Pierre Gagnaire’s emporium of culinary wonder Reflets – but there’s always room for more. Variety is the spice of life, or in this case the pan-fried crispy duck liver of life. And chef de cuisine Sylvain Gohier has created a menu that is both classic and contemporary. Fresh, but not too experimental. A list of dishes that doesn’t bore you or fill you with dread. Duck liver terrine, half roasted lobster salad, pan fried frogs legs (more on those later), lobster bisque with coral and lemongrass – salivating over page 59 yet? It’s certainly the kind of menu that makes our taste buds perspire. The restaurant itself is both hip and trendy, but perhaps lacking that je ne sais quoi. It feels a little like it’s been installed in the hotel’s only available space, but it’s nice enough, with a lot of dark wood and a nice cocktail bar looking out onto a busy terrace (not for the summer months). Before we move on to the food – a warning. Do not order a glass of champagne. It is, perhaps, one of the most expensive in the city. Do order the king prawn ravioli
Which of these new restaurants will you be eating at this month?
“There is nothing more satisfying than the taste of garlic and white wine on the tongue and a smattering of tiny frog femurs on your plate” with leek compote, Parmesan and beetroot butter – packed with flavour – and, of course, the frog legs. The meat was silky soft, and there is nothing more satisfying than the taste of garlic and white wine on the tongue and a smattering of tiny frog femurs on your plate. Not to mention the seafood would be remiss. Pan-fried scallops, tajine of lobster, Atlantic bass, Meuniere Dover sole and confit of salmon all sounded delightful. But it was impossible to refuse the blend of flavours promised, and delivered, by endless slices of blood red duck breast, stuffed with rich wild mushrooms and accompanied by a fresh artichoke mousseline, green peas with spring onion and a surprisingly gentle Szechuan pepper sauce. And the Guinea
fowl breast with hazelnut sauce was also a triumph. The After Eight mint mousse was a tad 1970s and a little too minty for our palette. What is required is that most French of offerings – a cheese trolley. Unfortunately it’s not really hip these days. Fortunately, Café Chic is.
Need to know Location: Le Méridien Dubai Tel: (04) 2170000 Web: www.starwoodhotels. com Open: 12.30pm to 2.45pm and 7.30pm to 11.45pm Cuisine type: French Must eat: pan-fried frog legs Bill for two: Dhs700 (excluding drinks)
PICCOLO MONDO BAY To progress from International City to a prime Marina Walk spot next to the Grosvenor House Hotel, a restaurant needs to be doing something right. The original PM is a local haunt of ours in the IC – an Aladdin’s cave of bric-a-brac collected by Iraqi owner Mr Zaki from 50-plus years of travelling the globe, shrouded in shisha smoke and serving good coffee and decent food. The new café promises more of the same. Marina Walk, Dubai Marina, Dubai, 11am to midnight. Tel: (04) 4475449 WEST BEACH BISTRO The opening of the Mövenpick Hotel Jumeirah Beach has long been awaited by residents of JBR. And West Beach Bistro promises the kind of casual dining beloved of those who like to walk The Walk. Chef Jason Wass boasts a reasonably priced menu, with a roast rack of lamb just Dhs125. Gents should check out the Boys' Night every Tuesday, where wine is two for one. Mövenpick Hotel Jumeirah Beach, The Walk, JBR, Dubai, 6.30pm to 1am. Tel: (04) 4498888. www. moevenpick-hotels.com CEDAR LOUNGE If this new Lebanese fusion restaurant is on a par with Fairmont Bab Al Bahr's other offerings – Marco Pierre White Steakhouse & Grill and Frankie's – we'll be happy. Expect unusual takes on classic Arabian dishes such a vine leaf sushi and falafel with red berry sauce. Fairmont Bab Al Bahr, Between The Bridges, Abu Dhabi, noon to 3pm and 7pm to midnight. Tel: (02) 6543333. www.fairmont.com
JUNE 2010 WHAT’S ON 59